Cars: Alternative Story
by JML Ranch
Summary: Stormy Lane, a junior in college, finds herself transported to the world of Cars with her trusty truck. What happens when she meets Lightning McQueen and the residents of Radiator Springs? Crazy things are bound to happen! Rated T for now, because I have a paranormal imagination. [Lightning/OC]
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Radiator Springs

I was sitting at home relaxing, listening to my music, bored out of my mind. I had done all that I needed to do for the day, and I couldn't really find anything else to do. My parents were not at home at the time. They had to go to the farm we have up in Oklahoma. I figured that they would not be home until late that evening. Just then I got a text from my mom confirming what I thought. It was close to 5 o'clock in the afternoon, so I went outside to feed the horses, which did not take very long at all. I was heading back inside when I got a crazy notion to go and drive for a while. _I must be going crazy. Why would I want to go drive around now? Well, I haven't done something crazy for a while so maybe I will. I know, I'll text my parents so they know I am not at home and not to worry. _Having made up my mind, I shot off a quick text to both my mom and dad.

"Hey there, old buddy. What do you say we go for a little drive, just you and me?" I said to my truck as I stepped out of the house. Corny, I know. I talk to my truck all the time, like he was alive. I kind of wished that he could talk back to me; I knew he must have a lot of stories to tell. But then, before I got him, he had spent most of his life in a garage. I walked around my truck, looking to see if I saw anything out of the ordinary. I loved the fact that he was a 1992 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. Not seeing anything abnormal, I then realized that it had been a while since I last checked the oil. I popped the hood, revealing the engine, and pulled out the dipstick for the oil.

"Oil level is good, so you don't need any more oil today," I mused as I closed the hood. I walked over the driver side and opened the door. Smiling as I listened to the 243-horsepower engine roar to life, I pulled out from the carport and headed out the gate. Seeing that I had a full tank, I decided to just drive around the back roads randomly. I plugged my iPhone in and set the music to shuffle. The sun was not close to the horizon, so I knew I had at least 3 hours of light left. I looked around a little bit as I drove along the back roads. The scenery was beautiful, miles upon miles of nothing but countryside. It was a warm summer afternoon, so I had rolled down the windows. I could see the heat from the sun that had beat down on the road, causing it to shimmer slightly.

"Where are we?" I muttered as I kept driving. I picked up my phone from the seat, and opened the maps app. I groaned when I saw that I had no signal on my phone.

"That's just great… I'm in the middle of God Knows Where with no signal on my phone and no clue of which way I went. Maybe I should just keep going until I find a blacktop road." I mumbled to myself, upset about being lost.

"Yeah, we should keep going to wherever we are going." A deep voice rang out. I looked around me in bewilderment, not sure where the voice was coming from. I locked the doors, nervous that there was a stranger near the truck. I dismissed the voice as a figment of my imagination. I kept driving, and after another 30 minutes or so, I came to a blacktop road.

"Yay! Now which way to take…" I wondered out loud as I pondered which way to take. I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the same deep voice from earlier.

"Maybe I can be of some help?"

"Wha- where is that voice coming from?" I whimpered, now freaked out.

"Why don't you step out?"

"Alright…" I said as I opened the door and stepped out. The door closed before I could even touch it. I jumped about 3 feet into the air, alarmed. I did not dare move another inch because I had a feeling that something was not right at all. I watched as my truck rolled backwards, turning so he was facing me. My jaw dropped at what I saw. Instead of just a windshield, I saw a pair of eyes looking right at me. He also seemed to have a mouth too. I just stood there; my mouth open and my eyes wide open in shock.

"Close your mouth before you catch a fly or something." He teased me, laughing. I clamped my mouth shut and put my hand over my mouth, not trusting my voice. After a few minutes, I finally was able to find my voice.

"Well… Looks like my wish came true finally. I now have a talking truck. Do you happen to have a name? I know I have called you Dodge for a while now, but I have always wondered if that was your true name or not."

"You have my name correct. What is yours? I never got the chance to find out what your name was." Dodge answered me.

"My name's Stormy Lane. Now… Do you have any idea where we could be?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, not sure. He shook his hood, indicating that he did not know. I groaned, not happy about the fact that we were lost.

"I guess we just need to pick a direction and get moving. How much gas do you have left?"

"More than ¾ of a tank. I'll be fine for a few hours. Erm… I'm not used to the concept that I can control myself now. It's kind of weird."

"I'm not used to the concept that you can talk now. But I'll gladly drive if you really want me to. I just don't want to hurt ya, buddy." I said as I walked over to the driver side.

"You won't hurt me. I trust you a lot. You're a safe driver," he replied as he opened the door. "In fact, you're like my big sister even though you're younger than I am."

I had to smile when he said I was like his big sister. I hopped back into the cab, and turned the engine on. Dodge suggested that we go to the right, and see where it went. I put the gear into drive, and released the parking brake. We took off, heading to wherever the road led.

After driving for over two hours, I finally saw a small town on the horizon. I had seen several signs indicating that we were on Route 66. Gradually the town got closer and closer. A billboard came into view and it said Welcome to Radiator Springs.

"Holy crap… We're in a parallel universe," I mumbled to myself, realizing that we were in the movie Cars. I had not seen the movie for a long time, so I did not really remember all of the characters from the movie. I was lost in my thoughts again when Dodge spoke up.

"Hey Stormy, I'm getting low on fuel. We need to get some gas now before we keep going."

"Actually, I think we should stop for the night. I don't want to keep driving in the dark. Let's see if this town has somewhere for us to stay." I replied, noticing that it was starting to get dark. I saw a small fuel station and pulled up to a pump. I was about to get out when the doors locked. Dodge did not want me to get out- not yet anyway. I could not hear what the others were saying, but after a few minutes, the door unlocked and opened.

"Come on out, Stormy. The others want to meet you. They have never seen anything like you before," Dodge said. I slowly stepped out and stood next to Dodge. The other cars stared at me and started to murmur amongst themselves.

"Howdy. I'm Stormy Lane," I introduced myself, waving as I did so.

"I'm Tow Mater, but you can call me Mater!" a rusty tow truck spoke up, wagging his towline like a big dog. I had to stifle a giggle because he was just too adorable. One by one the rest of the town residents introduced themselves.

"I'm just curious, but how did you meet Dodge?" Lightning, a red racecar, asked.

"Well, you see, in the world I am from, vehicles do not talk or move on their own like y'all do. Humans drive them. In my opinion, that sucks because I know that there is a story to every car or truck or SUV I see. Dodge here used to live in St. Louis, Missouri. For many years, he was kept in a garage, not being used much. He used to belong to my grandpa. 10 years ago, he decided to give me Dodge. I happily took him home. He was pretty much brand new when I got him; he had less than 60,000 miles on the odometer. I made sure he got the best of care that I could give him- just basic maintenance stuff. Then he ended up coming with me to college, hence the Texas A&M logo on his sides. Whenever I went home for breaks and stuff, he was my buddy. I always would talk to him, or play some music to pass the time. My parents thought that I was nuts because I talked to him like he was alive. Looks like that crazy notion paid off after all," I explained, grinning at the end.

"Wow. How can you put up with Stormy driving you, Dodge?" Doc, a cobalt blue Hudson Hornet, asked.

"Dunno. I guess you just get used to it after a while. But then, I have never driven myself before, so I wouldn't really know the difference. She is a very safe driver, I can tell you that much. She has saved us from quite a few accidents."

"Huh. So it doesn't hurt at all?"

"Not at all. It's kind of nice to have someone that travels with you all the time. Whenever she drives somewhere, she usually takes me. I get to see a lot of things during my travels. Sometimes, we do have some fun."

"Tractor tipping?" Mater asked excitedly.

"No, but that sure sounds like fun. We prefer to go off-roading. The last time it snowed, we went out on the back roads and slid around the corners."

"In fact, when I was younger, I had this four-wheeler I would take out into a field covered with snow and play around. That was how I learned to power slide and do donuts," I said, laughing at the memory of playing in the snow. "Being able to do that has paid off many times. Dodge and I have had a few close calls on the dirt roads when his back end broke free."

"So you like to play in the dirt?" Lightning asked.

"Yep." Dodge and I said at the same time. "JINX! DOUBLE JINX! TRIPLE JINX!"

"Who's up for a little bit of dirt racing?" Lightning called out as he pulled away from the gas station. A loud round of cheers went up as Doc, Mater, Strip, Sally, Dodge and I pulled out, following Lightning. I looked around in awe at the landscape. _I would love to live here forever,_ I thought to myself. Little did I know that would come true for me later.

We arrived at the dirt track, and we all decided that only two would be allowed on the track at a time. The races were going to be 5 laps each. Dodge and I were going to race Strip, Lightning was going up against Doc, and Sally was going to race Mater. I grinned as I walked out in front of Lightning and Doc, who were trash talking to each other.

"You two done trash talking?" I asked. They both nodded, grinning like fools. I laughed as I backed up a few steps.

"Gentlemen, start your engines!" Both engines turned over with a loud roar that sent chills down my spine. "On your marks... Get set... GO!"

They both took off, leaving me covered with a cloud of dust. I scampered off the track and over to Dodge, who was chatting with the sky blue Plymouth Superbird. I hopped on Dodge's back bumper, and then clambered on to the roof, settling myself on the top of his cab. I looked up and saw that Doc was barely holding on to his lead. They approached the turn, and I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. They were both _sliding_ around the turn. Lightning passed Doc on the inside, and pulled away, winning the race by one car length.

"Your turn," Doc called up to Strip, Dodge, and me. I jumped down and got into the cab. Dodge and I made our way over to the chain that marked the start/finish line. I gulped as I mentally braced myself for the race.

"Good luck you two," Strip said, pulling up next to us.

"Thank you. Good luck to you, too," Dodge replied.

"Gentlemen and lady, start your engines!" Doc called out. I turned the key, listening to Dodge's engine roar to life. I could hear various whistles from the sidelines, but I didn't care. I needed to focus on driving so I don't crash.

"On your marks... Get set..." Doc counted down, raising his tire in the air. I had one foot on the brake and the other one on the gas, getting ready to let the brake off and goose it. "GO!"

I pressed on the gas hard, feeling Dodge's tires spin for a moment before catching and launching us forward. Once we got moving, I realized that Dodge had lowered himself on his shocks, and knew that he would not let us flip over. As we approached the far turn of the track, I glanced in the mirrors. I saw that Strip was roughly two car lengths behind us. Grinning, I pushed Dodge even harder. I could see the tight turn coming up, and tapped the brakes slightly, throwing his weight forward so his back tires could break free. I started to turn, and as we started to go left, I stepped on the gas again, making his back tires break loose. I quickly turned the steering wheel to the right hard. I let out a loud whoop as we were sliding around the turn. We kept going, and it was only a few minutes before it was the final lap. Strip was still behind us, having a little bit of trouble keeping up. As we came out of the final turn, I floored it and we ended up winning the race. I managed to stop Dodge before we went too far down the track. I leaned out the window, a big ol' grin plastered on my face.

"That was some crazy driving. Never seen anyone do that well for his or her first time on this track," Doc looked at me with a surprised look on his face. Lightning was just staring at me with his mouth slightly open.

"Close your mouth before you eat a fly or dust, Lightning," I teased. This caused everyone to burst out laughing. Lightning clamped his mouth shut, and just glared at me. I could see that he was struggling to contain his laughter, but he couldn't for very long. Finally, he started to laugh. After he calmed down, we all went to the sidelines and watched Sally and Mater race. I had to laugh when Mater turned around and started to race backwards midway through the race.

"He's nuts! I would freak out if I tried to go that fast backwards!" Dodge cried out in shock.

"He is the best backward driver here in Radiator Springs. He taught me how to race backwards, but I can't beat him. He's just that good," Lightning snickered. "Looks like he won the race."

Sure enough, Mater had indeed won the race. I was going to hop in Dodge's driver side, but changed my mind.

"Dodge, you're going to have to learn how to move on your own. There may come times when I am not around to drive. I'll walk back to town on my own," I said as I closed Dodge's door. He looked at me with a 'are you serious?' expression. "Don't give me that look, otherwise I'll take the belt off of your engine. We don't want that to happen, do we?"

Dodge just booked it back to town, not wanting to suffer from my infamous temper. Usually it takes a lot to make me mad, but for some reason Dodge had managed to press the wrong button. I just glared at the direction that he had taken off. Lightning pulled up next to me on my right side and opened his door. I looked at him in slight confusion.

"Ever driven a racecar before?" he asked. I shook my head. I had never driven a racecar before. "Hop in. I'll let you drive."

I looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt ya."

"Yep."

"Alright." I said as I stepped into Lightning's cab. I looked around me at the controls. _Thank you Lord for having my dad teach me how to drive a manual._

"Do you know how to drive a manual?" Lightning asked nervously. He had forgotten that he was not an automatic like some of the others. I just grinned as I depressed the clutch.

"You're about to find out," I answered as I turned his engine on. I heard him gulp nervously. " I am not a crazy driver, don't worry."

I released the parking brake and we started moving. I could feel the power that was waiting to be released when needed, and I was tempted to go around the track a lap or two. I guess Lightning somehow picked up on the mental battle I was having, because he spoke up again.

"You okay? You look like you're having a hard time making you mind up about something."

"I am… I want to go around the track one or two times, but yet I know we need to go back to town."

"I'm guessing you can feel how much power my engine has?"

"Yep."

Lightning looked around for a few seconds. "Let go of the controls for a second."

I let go and he moved over to the starting line. I was confused for a few minutes.

"Alright. Now it's your turn."

"Huh? My turn for what?" I asked, still confused as to why Lightning had moved back to the starting line.

"You said you could feel how much power my engine has. And that you couldn't decide whether to go around the track or go back to town."

My eyes widened for a few seconds when I realized that he was letting me drive around the track. I put one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear shifter. Taking a deep breath, I mentally braced myself for the takeoff.

"Here we go." I muttered to myself.

I threw the shifter into first, and then stepped on the gas. As Lightning charged forward, I was pinned to the seat. I had never felt anything like this before. Grinning, I changed into second, then third, then fourth, and then fifth gear as we approached the first turn. We shot around the second turn, and as we flew along the straightaway, I glanced down at the speedometer. My brain registered that we were going close to 200 MPH. Still grinning, I saw that the third turn was coming up. Right before we entered the turn, I tapped on the brakes quickly, causing most of Lightning's weight to transfer to his front wheels. I turned to the left hard, and as his front tires held the ground, I goosed the gas. This caused his back wheels to come free and swing to the right. When I knew his back end was far enough, I spun the steering wheel to the right as far as they would go. Lightning whooped as we slid around the fourth turn, and I was laughing.

"YEE-HAW!" I hollered as we stopped near the finish line. The adrenaline was still running through my system, causing my heart to race. I couldn't stop shaking, but it was because of the thrill from rocketing around the track at close to 200 MPH.

"I think I'm going to let you drive now, I'm still shaking from the excitement. Let's not say a word about this to the others, agreed?"

"Agreed. I don't want anyone to find out that you were driving me. Geez… That sounded _so _wrong." Lightning groaned.

"I'll say. That sounded _so _wrong. Let's go back to town before the others start to worry about us," I said between laughing spells. I let go of the controls, relaxing into the seat. Suddenly, I felt very tired. Lightning pulled up to a fuel pump, and parked. I did not want to get out of the cab just yet, partly because the others would freak out and partly because I was tired. A few minutes later, Lightning opened his door up. I groaned inwardly because I needed to get out and the others were still there.

"Not a good idea with the others still there," I hissed softly.

"They made me 'fess up. They know."

"Urgh… Fine, I'll get out now," I moaned as I got out.

"Do you and Dodge have a place to stay?" Lightning asked.

"No."

"You two can have Cone number two at the Cozy Cone over there," Sally offered.

"Okay, and thank you so much," I said as we walked/drove over to the hotel. Sally gave me the key to the room, and I hollered good night to everyone. I walked over to Dodge, who was waiting for me by the door. I was so tired I just walked in and flopped down on a couch and was out like a light not even 5 minutes later.


	2. Chapter 2: Strange Transformation

Three weeks passed by quickly. Dodge and I had arrived during the racing offseason, and we kept busy by helping out all the residents. I was at Doc's clinic frequently, helping Doc out with various things around the clinic. Whenever Doc was working on a patient, I would watch with rapt interest. Doc had noticed this, and was now teaching me how to repair cars and trucks. At the end of each day, I was the one who cleaned up the clinic for Doc. I had just finished cleaning up the clinic and I decided that today was cool enough for me to go take a little walk. I noticed that there was a nice patch of woods behind the hotel, and that there was a trail leading into the woods. I told Dodge and Doc where I would be going, and I started walking along the trail. I relaxed as I listened to the birds singing among the trees. There was a pretty orange, red, and yellow canopy of leaves above me. I came to a small clearing, and I gasped at what I saw. There were flowers everywhere, covering the clearing with color. Smiling, I walked across the clearing.

When I reached the other side, I felt a mild burning sensation in my chest. Then as fast it had appeared, it disappeared. _I'm fine, nothing to worry about,_ I thought to myself. I continued along the trail and came to another clearing, this time it was all grass. I was partway across the clearing when I felt the burning sensation return. I stopped, not sure what to do. The burning sensation started to spread, and it spread until I felt like my entire body was on fire. I collapsed to the ground, and clenched my teeth. The pain was almost unbearable. I drew deep breaths, trying to distract myself from the pain. After a few minutes, the pain dulled somewhat and I was able to look at myself. My eyes widened in shock as I looked at my hands. They were black, and they were morphing into something else. I tried to get up, but could not. I was now truly freaked out, and I felt like I couldn't scream. I could only manage a squeak. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what happened next. I could feel my body changing, shifting, and rearranging itself. After what felt like forever, everything was quiet and still. I slowly opened one eye, and saw the field still. Letting out a relieved sigh, I opened my other eye. I looked down at the ground, or so I thought. I was now looking at a silver hood with two dark grey stripes running down the middle. I blinked my eyes in confusion, and then tried to move. Nothing. _What is going on?_ I wondered to myself. Thinking, I looked down further and saw a row of gauges. I realized that they were car gauges, and that they were what I would see in front of me when I was in a car. I tried to move my right hand, or so I thought. I saw a black tire come up. I moved again, and realized that the tire was me! Puzzled, I looked to the sides and saw mirrors. I could see the body of a car behind me, but I was confused. _Why do I see the sides of a car, and I see a hood right in front of me?_ I continued to mull over the information in my head. Suddenly it hit me. I was no longer a human. I was now a car.

"Aw man, no one will believe me when I tell the others that I'm still me," I groaned to myself. "Well, I'm going to have to try anyway. Now how the hell do I move?"

I discovered that everything was the same way, as it would be set up in any car. I had a manual transmission instead of automatic. I turned the key in the ignition on, and jumped a little when my engine turned over. I sat there for a moment, feeling the engine rumble. _I don't run on gasoline, that's for sure,_ I thought to myself as I recognized the familiar sound of a diesel-powered engine. I put myself in gear, and started moving. I slowly made my way back to town, not realizing how late it was getting. After driving for a few minutes, I heard another engine. I stopped, and listened carefully for a moment. I almost let out a happy squeal when I realized who it was. I saw a flash of red through the trees, and then Lightning came around the corner.

"AHH!" Lightning yelped. "Who are you?"

"Hi Lightning," I said nervously, worried that he would not recognize my voice. My engine stalled out because I was so nervous.

He looked at me in confusion for a minute. "Stormy? Is that you?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, it's really me. Please d-don't hurt me," I whimpered softly, scared about what he would do next. I didn't know if he was going to charge me or if he was going to run back to town. I looked down at the ground just in front of me, not wanting to see what he was going to do. I heard him approach me, and then I saw a red hood in front of me. I looked up, and Lightning was in front of me.

"I won't hurt you. What happened?" he asked gently.

"Honestly, I have no idea what really happened. All I know is I was walking along when my chest started hurting. It felt like something was burning me on the inside. That burning sensation spread until I felt like I was on fire completely. After a few minutes, it dulled enough that I could kind of aware of what was happening to me. I saw that my hands were black, and were starting to morph. I just closed my eyes, and all I know is that I could feel my body changing. Next thing I know, I'm looking down at a silver hood with two grey stripes in the middle. Uh… what kind of car am I?" I replied.

"You're a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. That's not very common around here. Let's head back and Doc can check you out to make sure everything is where it should be," Lightning said, backing up and turning around. I did not start my engine for a few moments, I was still too nervous.

"Are you okay?" Lightning asked worriedly as he turned back to me.

"Still really nervous. What if the others don't believe us when they see me?"

Lightning pulled up next to me and nudged me gently with his fender. "It's okay. They will listen to us before they make up their mind. Besides, I'm pretty sure they will realize that it's really you when they hear you talk."

"Thanks Lightning," I whispered, nudging him back softly. "Now, you may want to back up a little bit… My engine's pretty loud when it starts up."

"Ah… I don't know about that. Mine is really loud."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Want to bet?"

"Okay, I'll back up a little bit," he backed up slightly, rolling his eyes. I just smiled a little bit. Then I turned my engine on.

"Holy… I should have backed up more. I think you just made me go deaf now," he complained.

"Told you my engine was loud," I sassed a little as I moved forward.

"I think the town probably heard you," he teased me. I just snorted, and he grinned at me. I paused a second, letting him go by me. I followed him, feeling kind of awkward with my new form. As we drove along, I started to feel more and more comfortable with myself. A few minutes later, we were at the edge of the woods. I slammed on my brakes right before I came out of the woods. I did not want to face the others just yet. Lightning kept going for a few feet, and then realized that I had stopped. He turned around so he was facing me again.

"Still nervous?" he asked me. I just nodded my hood. He sighed softly, and then drove around me. "I know of another way we can go that will keep us out of sight, and you can stay at my headquarters for a little bit if you want to."

I turned around and started following Lightning again. We drove along slowly, going back into the woods again. I heard another engine behind me and started to get _very_ nervous. I kept looking back, knowing that there was someone approaching us. I had a feeling that they had heard Lightning and me go back in the woods.

"Lightning. I hear someone behind us. Not sure who it is," I hissed, not wanting to be heard.

"I hear him too. It's Mater. Let's move, otherwise we will have a lot of explaining to do."

Lightning took off quickly, heading further into the woods. I sped up, trying to keep my engine quiet, which was not easy to do, considering that I ran on diesel. Diesel engines are notorious for being very loud. We kept driving until we came to the other side of the woods. The headquarters were about a mile away from the woods.

"Race ya there!" I yelled as I roared past Lightning. I was laughing and whooping as I raced to the building. Suddenly I saw a ditch in my path!

"Storm! Look out for the ditch!" Lightning cried out from behind me. I couldn't stop, so I decided I would jump. I went even faster, and then I shifted my weight to my back wheels. I pushed my front end off the ground as hard as I could, and then I did the same with my back wheels. Time seemed to slow down as I flew through the air. I reached out with my front wheels, and then I felt the ground beneath my tires. I slowed myself down, trying to not slam into the ground. As my front end started to level out, I reached out with my back wheels, and found the ground. I did not bounce at all as I finished landing. I sped away from the ditch, and then a few seconds later I slammed on my brakes. I was panting a little bit due to the effort I put in to the jump. Lightning rolled up to me with a shocked look on his face.

"I have never seen anything like that in my life. No one has been able to clear the ditch the way you did," he murmured.

"Maybe I was going fast enough to clear it the way I did? Or I did something very few cars can do…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"Can you jump in the air with your front?"

"I can, but only a few inches."

"Same thing, except I think I have enough strength to jump a few feet in the air."

"Prove it," he snorted.

"Alright," I replied as I shifted my weight around, making sure I would not move easily. I shifted my weight to the back, and then lowered myself in the front.

"I still have most of my weight on my back wheels right now, even though it doesn't really look like it," I explained when Lightning looked at me in confusion. He nodded in understanding. Then I pushed myself up into the air. I paused in the air for a moment before slowly letting myself down. Lightning was speechless.

"How high up was I?" I asked.

"At least 4 feet, if not more. And how did you manage to not crash back down to the ground?"

"One word: torque," I said, grinning.

"Wow. That's a lot of torque, then," he said, still kind of shocked. "Let's go inside."

I followed him in to the headquarters. I looked around me in amazement. Everything looked so clean and brand-new. We rolled along the halls; Lightning was talking while I was looking around. We came to a door, and stopped.

"And here is the new racetrack," he announced as he pushed the door open. I slowly rolled out the door, and was surprised. The racetrack looked like it had never been used before.

"Have you had the chance to run on it yet?" I asked.

"Nope. First time to come out here. We are the first cars to ever drive on here," he said as he rubbed a tire on the pavement. "I didn't get the chance to train this morning, and I nearly forgot about the new track. You up for a little race?"

"You bet! It will give me the opportunity to see what I can do. Just hope I don't crash out here. That would be really bad," I answered, following Lightning to a tire rack.

"That would be a disaster if you did. We're going to need to switch tires. I don't know if we are the same size or not, so go ahead and try one on," he said, looking at the tires then me. I pulled one off the rack, and he handed me a power tool. I removed the nuts from my left tire, and then tried the new tire on.

"Well, what do you know? We're the same size after all. Lucky day today," I commented as I finished putting the tire on. I pulled down three more tires, and it only took me a few minutes to change the other three out.

"Need a minute, almost done," Lightning said as I put the tool up. I snickered to myself because I had managed to finish before he did. I rolled out to the track, and only needed to wait a few moments before Lightning rolled up to me. He handed me a device, and I realized that it kept track of how many laps I did.

"These tires feel weird to me," I commented.

"That's because they are designed for track use only. You need more grip on the track, so the tires are a little bit softer so they can stick to the track when they heat up," he explained. "Now, let's run a couple of laps to warm up."

Lightning started to drive along the track, and I pulled up next to him. We were cruising at 75 MPH. After we had gone around the track ten times, he stopped at the starting line.

"See if you can keep up with me," he taunted as he launched from the starting line. I grinned as I waited a few seconds. Then I dropped my clutch and roared off the line, black coal rolling out of my exhaust pipes. I felt my front almost come up off the ground, but managed to keep myself down. It only took me a few seconds to catch up to Lightning. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"How did you catch up so fast?" he asked in astonishment.

"Almost lifted my front end off the ground when I took off. And I just kept accelerating until I reached my max speed. You're not at your max speed, are you?"

"Nope, but I will in a few laps. Takes me a while to get to my max speed. You have something _big_ under that hood of yours."

"I do. No telling what's under there. Could be a piece of crap, or a powerful racing machine. More likely the latter than the former."

"And you run on diesel, am I right?"

"Yep, that's right. Diesels are not known for being fast, but I think I may be the exception to that rule now."

"Either that, or you run on gasoline and your engine just happens to sound like a diesel."

"That sure doesn't make a whole lotta sense. Otherwise, why would I be rolling coal when I launched from the starting line? And when I say rolling coal, I mean _really _rolling coal."

"You did? Well, there goes my theory of you being a gasoline and sounding like a diesel."

"You're silly. See ya at the finish line!" I hollered as I sped up.

"Oh no, don't you get away from me!" he yelled as he sped up. We rocketed around the track at 250 MPH, our engines roaring in the air. He passed me several times, and I kept catching back up. After making 50 laps, I felt something change. I realized that I had an extra gear. Lightning was to my left, on the inside. Smirking to myself, I shifted to the extra gear, and my engine noise dropped two octaves. Lightning looked at me in confusion. I just looked at him innocently. We went around the track ten more times before I finally decided to floor it.

"Wha-hey!" Lighting complained as I floored it, rolling coal as I surged past him. I just cackled as I sped up even faster. I loved the adrenaline rush that flooded my system. As I sped up, I realized that I was slowly getting close to 300 MPH. I was at 270 right now, and still accelerating.

280.

290.

295.

I hit 300 MPH, and was still accelerating.

305.

310.

315.

320.

325.

I finally quit accelerating at 330 MPH, and at this point, my engine was now in a deafening roar. Lightning seemed to stand still as I passed him several times. I just kept going at that speed, totally focused on hugging the track. I did not realize how fast the laps were going by. Finally, after what felt like forever, I started to tire and slow down. I saw that Lightning had stopped and was staring at me with a shocked expression on his face. I was still going fast, right around 250 MPH. I did not want to burn up my brakes, and decided to activate my engine brake. A deep rumbling sound filled the air around me, letting me know that the engine brake was on. I turned it all the way up to slow down as fast as I could. After slowing down to 60 MPH, I turned the engine brake off and made my way over to Lightning, who was still staring at me.

"You look like you saw a ghost or somethin'" I commented.

"No. I saw a silver bullet on the track. Where did you get that speed and endurance from?" he exclaimed.

"Must have been a gift from the Good Lord," I smirked. "Any idea how fast I was going?"

"Uh… Not really, but it was _way_ over 250, that's for sure."

"Try 330 MPH. That's my max speed, McSnail." I teased playfully.

"Hey! I'm Lightning McQueen, and I'm the fastest thing around! _Ka-chow!_"

"_Second_ fastest. I'm the fastest thing around now," I said, smirking at him. "_Ka-BOOM!_"

"Alright, alright Silverthunder, you're right," he mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Silverthunder?" I asked.

"That's your nickname now. One, you're silver. Two, while you were out there racing, I could feel the ground _shaking_ as you went around the track."

"The ground was _shaking_ as I raced around the track?" I replied, my eyes widening in surprise.

"Yep. I thought it was an earthquake at first, and then I realized that _you_ were the one causing the shaking…" he trailed off as he looked past me, eyes widening. I turned around and nearly sped off backwards.


	3. Chapter 3: Something's Going On

Doc was standing there, glaring at Lightning and me, mostly me. _This is the WORST possible way for him to find out about me, _I thought to myself. Doc looked like he was going to explode. His frame was shaking in anger.

"_Who. The. Hell. Are. You._" He snarled at me. I gulped nervously.

"I-I'm S-Stormy," I stuttered, my engine sputtering out at the same time. His eyes went wide the moment I finished that sentence, and was staring at me with a shocked expression.

"Stormy? Is that really you?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied meekly.

"Wow. What a change. I have heard of something like this happening to other humans, but I never thought that was actually true," he said as he drove around me, looking over me. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling pretty dang good, considering I did 400 laps at 330 MPH."

"330 MPH?" he asked, shocked.

"Yep. She was basically a silver blur out there, Doc," Lightning answered, backing me up on my statement. "She's loud too. The ground was shaking while she was running around the track. She has a nickname now, it's Silverthunder," he added, smiling at me as he said my new nickname. I smiled softly back at him.

"You two have enough fuel to get back to town?" Doc asked me and Lightning.

"I need more. Be right back," Lightning said as he drove off to get fuel.

"I'm good. Still have little over ½ of a tank."

"Wow. That's amazing, considering you did 400 laps at 330 MPH," Doc commented.

"It was more like 350 laps. I can't go 330 for a spell. I have an extra gear that did not come up until after 50 laps at 250."

"Huh. That's interesting. A few racecars have an extra drive gear, but one that refuses to engage until you've gone 50 laps at 250? Unusual. I bet it's temperature sensitive."

"What do you mean?"

"You extra gear won't engage until your engine reaches its optimal running temperature," Doc explained.

"Makes sense. Probably a safeguard to keep me from hurting myself. I won't go anywhere near 100 unless I'm on a track," I said, chuckling a little bit. "Is that kind of drive gear rare?"

"It is in the racing world. However, it's fairly common in illegal street racing. Most cars have to get a transmission replacement. You're lucky you have it already. Lightning was lucky he didn't need an engine replacement himself. Most racecars do not have the engine they were born with."

"Wow. Will I have to replace my engine since I'm currently running on diesel?"

"No. The rules allow cars that run on diesel to race. They just have to prove that they can go at least 180 MPH. That's the minimum speed they will accept. There is no upper speed limit. You go almost two times that speed anyways, so that is not a problem."

"What about horsepower?"

"No limit on that, either. There are some racers that have engines that put out 1200 HP. That's the highest I have heard so far."

"I noticed that when I launched from the starting line, I rolled coal like you would not believe."

"Show me."

I moved to the starting line and got ready to take off. Settling low over my wheels, I took off as hard as I could without lifting my front end. I glanced in my side mirror, and saw a long trail of dark smoke behind me. I slowed down, went around the track, and came back to where Doc was.

"Well… That could be a problem," Doc said as he coughed softly.

"I was thinking the same thing myself. It's not safe, and it's unsportsmanlike. I probably need something that will reduce the amount of smoke. Here comes Lightning," I replied as I heard Lightning's engine come up behind me.

"Took you long enough, Rookie," Doc commented. Lightning just rolled his eyes. "Let's go back to town, but first, you two need to switch out your tires."

Lightning and I went to the tire racks and switched tires quickly. I finished up, and then headed over to where Doc was waiting for us. I was smirking to myself again, because I had beaten Lightning.

"What are you smirking about, Stormy?" Doc asked me.

"I beat Lightning earlier when we switched tires, and I beat him again just now," I said, grinning.

"He can't change his tires very fast, can he? I thought he was the fastest thing around," Doc said sarcastically. I struggled to contain my laughter, my frame shaking from the attempt.

"Apparently he is no longer the fastest thing on God's green earth," I said with the straightest face I could. Doc burst out laughing, pounding the ground with one tire. I fell to the ground with a clank, laughing so hard no sound escaped from me. Tears were running down my hood from the laughter.

"All right, what's so funny?" Lightning asked as he rolled up to Doc and me. I couldn't answer him because I still laughing. The expression on his face made me laugh even harder.

"Nothing. It was a joke between me and her," Doc answered, laughing slightly. I was finally starting to calm down, and just as I stopped laughing, I started to hiccup.

"That's just-hic! –great. I have –hic! - the hiccups now," I grumbled, hiccupping every few words. I just sat there with a little pout on my face for a moment before hauling myself up off from the ground.

"Let's go back to town. I think you need to be reintroduced to the others, Stormy," Doc said as he drove towards the town. I looked at Lightning, who was standing next to me, the nervous feeling returning to my gas tank. He glanced towards Doc to make sure he wasn't looking, and then nuzzled me softly.

"It's okay. Let's go before Doc starts to wonder why we are still sitting here," he reassured me as he started his engine. I sighed as I turned my engine on quietly, and pulled out onto the road. Lightning drove along next to me, not saying anything. I was content to drive along in silence, my headlights lighting up the road in front of us. The cool night air felt good to my engine, which was still a little bit too warm for my comfort. We neared the town limit, and I slowed down to a stop before the gas station came into view. Lightning stopped next to me.

"Just take your time. I'll be right here," he whispered to me, trying to reassure me. I took a deep breath, clearing my intakes at the same time, and started to move forward again. Slowly the gas station-which is named Flo's V8 Café- came into view. We pulled up to a bay unnoticed by the others. After idling there for a moment, I decided to get their attention.

"Lightning, you may want to brace yourself, I'm going to rev my engine to get their attention," I whispered to him. He nodded slightly, indicating that he had heard me. I took a calming breath, and then revved my engine loudly. Everyone quit talking and looked at me.

"Shoot, yer purty!" Mater said to me.

"Why, thank you Mater," I answered.

"Stormy?!" Everyone exclaimed at the same time.

"Yep. That's me. Oh and you can call me Silverthunder as well as Stormy," I answered, glancing at Lightning when I said my nickname. I could see in his eyes that he was really happy that I had decided to go by Silverthunder as well.

"Did you pick that name out, honey?" Flo asked.

"Nope," I answered, grinning.

"Who picked it out for you then?" Sally asked.

"He did," I said, gesturing to Lightning. He went really still and did not look at anyone. I knew he had to be blushing.

"I'm just curious, but why Silverthunder?" Sheriff asked.

"Two reasons- one, she is silver, and that's pretty obvious. Did anyone hear or feel the ground shake earlier?" Lightning said. Everyone said that they had felt the ground shaking earlier. I looked at everyone in surprise. _Geez, I didn't know I was that loud,_ I thought to myself. "That was her. Her engine is so loud that it caused the ground to rumble."

"Whoa man, you must have a real powerful engine there," Fillmore said to me.

"I didn't know y'all could feel the ground shaking all the way out here. That's a big shocker to me because I thought the shaking was in a small area. I guess not."

"Do you want anything, honey?" Flo asked me.

"Yes, I would like a can of oil please."

"How about you, Lightning?"

"Same thing as Silverthunder, please," Lightning answered. Flo went to get our order, and I was just sitting there, not really paying attention to the conversations around me. DJ, who was a former troublemaker, was playing music. Flo brought a oil can out and set it in front of me.

"Thanks, Flo," I said as I took a sip from the can. For some reason, it actually tasted good to me. I was sipping on my drink when I heard a familiar song come on. It was Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger. I set my drink down and rolled out to the middle, singing along to the song.

(A/N: Italics and bold is me when I sing.)

_**Just take those old records off the shelf  
I'll sit and listen to 'em by m'self  
Today's music ain't got the same soul  
I like that old time rock and roll**_

_**Don't try to take me to a Disco  
You'll never even get me out on the floor  
In 10 minutes I'll be late for the door  
I like that old time rock and roll.**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll  
The kinda music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock and roll**_

_**Won't go to hear 'em play a Tango  
I'd rather hear some blues or funky old soul  
There's only one sure way to get me to go  
Start playin' old time rock and roll**_

_**Call me a relic call me what'cha will  
Say I'm old fashioned say I'm over the hill  
Today's music ain't got the same soul  
I like that old time rock and roll**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll  
The kinda music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock and roll**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll  
The kinda music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock and roll**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll  
The kinda music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock and roll**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll  
The kinda music just soothes the soul  
I reminisce about the days of old  
With that old time rock and roll**_

_**Still like that old time rock and roll**_

The song ended and everyone broke out in a loud round of honks and cheers. I grinned widely, and then I heard the next song start. I let out a loud whoop, because it was one of my all-time favorites: Texas in 1880 by Radney Foster.

"Hey Lightning! Do you know the words to this song?" I asked.

"Hell yeah! Ka-chow!"

I laughed as he rolled out to where I was. I started us off, really getting into the song.

(My turn)  
_**I can hear the wind whispering my name  
Tellin' me it's time to head out again  
My horses are trailered and the lights are shut down  
I'm long overdue for heading outta town**_

(Lightning's turn)**  
Gotta fever they call the rodeo  
Just enough winners and make the next show  
Sometimes you make eight sometimes you hit dirt  
Go on pin another number to the back of my shirt**

(Both me and Lightning at the same time)_**  
**And I'll ride that pony fast  
Like a cowboy from the past  
Be young and wild and free  
Like Texas in 1880  
Just like Texas in 1880_

_**From Phoenix to Tulsa to the Astro Dome  
From New York City down to San Antonio  
There's boys that are ridin' for legendary fame  
And our money's all gone but they still ride the same  
Our hearts are gettin' broke  
And our heads are gettin' busted**__**  
**__**We'll always believe in the things that we trusted  
They'll be those nights when glory comes round  
And we'll tip our hats and wave to the crowd**_

_And I'll ride that pony fast  
Like a cowboy from the past  
Be young and wild and free  
Like Texas in 1880  
Just like Texas in 1880_

**Someday when you're older someone'll see  
That buckle hangin' there on your belt  
Askin' just how it felt**

_And I'll ride that pony fast  
Like a cowboy from the past  
Be young and wild and free  
Like Texas in 1880  
Just like Texas in 1880_

_Just like Texas  
Take me home to Texas  
Play it just like Texas  
No no no  
No no no  
Play it just like Texas  
Yeah…yeah yeah!_

"That was awesome!" Lightning yelled as the song ended.

"It sure was!" I said, laughing. Everyone else was cheering again, this time even louder. I backed into my spot, and picked up my drink. Lightning backed up into his spot to the right of me, and settled next to me. A few minutes later, I felt him lean onto me slightly. I locked my shocks on my left side so he wouldn't knock me over easily. Not too long after, he fell asleep. We both stayed at the café right up until closing time. Sally, Flo and Ramone were the only ones left.

"He fell asleep didn't he?" Sally whispered to me.

I look to my right and saw that he was still asleep. "He did earlier. I almost don't want to wake him up. He looks so peaceful right now," I whispered back.

"I think he likes you more than a friend. Have you noticed the way he looks at you?"

"I have. I think you're right. And I have to admit, I do too."

"You two would be great together. Good night, Stormy."

"Good night Sally."

I looked at Lightning. _Urgh, I don't want to wake him up, but we need to go, _I thought to myself. I decided to start my engine up softly. I slowly sped up my engine, not wanting to scare him.

"Huh?" Lightning muttered sleepily as he woke up. "Is it morning already?" he asked, yawning. I giggled a little bit.

"No. It's closing time, and we need to go," I said softly.

"Oh okay… I have a guest room you can stay in at the headquarters," he said, trying to stifle another yawn. I yawned too.

"You made me yawn," I complained.

"Sorry, not sorry," he teased me. I swatted at him with a tire. That seemed to wake him up, because he growled playfully and swatted back at me. I swerved out of reach, and took off.

"Keep up with me if you don't want to get lost in the dark!" I called back to him. I heard him rev his engine loud, and he was now chasing me. I laughed as I sped up a little bit more, and this caused him to mutter some expletive words I will not repeat.

"Lightning! Those are not very nice words to say!" I exclaimed. I glanced in my side view mirror and saw that he had a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes and pulled up to the headquarters. I was waiting for him when I realized I did not hear his engine anymore. I started to look around; worried that something had happened to him.

"Lightning?" I called out into the night. "Where are you?"

I scanned the area carefully, trying to see where Lightning had gone. I sat there, confused and a little bit nervous. I heard something rustle, and I did a 180 turn, my front tires not touching the ground as I popped around. I froze for a moment, not sure where the sound had come from. Then I heard an engine roar and felt something tackle me, sending me rolling.

"Hey!" I yelled. We both went rolling into the dirt, and I landed on my roof. I saw something red in front of me, but he was upside down. I let out a soft groan when I realized who it was.

"Gotcha!" Lighting said, and then burst out laughing. I reached out with one tire and pushed myself up so I was on my side instead. I paused for a moment, trying to recover from the surprise tackle and plotting something as revenge. When I had plotted out my revenge, I flipped the rest of the way over. He was still laughing. _Perfect, _I thought to myself. I slipped away, and hid in the shadows. He quit laughing after a few minutes when he realized I wasn't there anymore.

"Silverthunder? Where did you go?" Lightning called out. I grinned as he moved closer to my hiding spot. He stopped in front of me, looking right at me but he couldn't see me. I charged at him, yelling and honking loudly. He screamed as he backed up as hard as he could, trying to get away from me. He backed up several feet before realizing it was me.

"You- you should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless!" I struggled to get out while laughing. "That's what you get for tackling me to the ground."

"Ha-ha. Laugh it up," he mocked. I just smiled at him. He smiled back and just shook his hood. I then realized that I had been moving closer to him. I stopped, and he slowly rolled closer to me.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Lighting said to me as he kept rolling closer. I just shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm crazy, but not as crazy as you," I teased, smirking. He laughed softly. I then realized how close he had gotten to me. I felt my heart start to beat faster, not sure what was going to happen next. I looked at him, and I felt myself get lost in his eyes. They were exactly the same shade of blue as mine, except I had a little bit more grey. I felt his breath on my front bumper, and then I knew what he wanted. I moved forward and pressed my lips onto his, closing my eyes. He froze for a second, and then kissed back. We came apart a few moments later, both panting slightly.

"That was…" I trailed off, my mind scrambled and reeling from what just happened.

"Perfect," Lightning finished.

"Yea. Perfect," I repeated softly. "So I guess we're together now."

"I agree with you. Let's go inside. It's getting late, and I have to get up early for practice tomorrow morning," he said as he headed inside. I followed him through the halls, and we came to a door.

"Wait here a moment. I don't know if the room is done, but it's supposed to be," he said, heading into the room. I waited out in the hall for what seemed like forever, but it had only been a few minutes.

"They're not done like I thought," he sighed as he rolled out of the room. He paused for a moment, lost in thought. Nodding his hood, he turned to me. "You can stay with me tonight. I don't want anyone to find out, so let's not say anything about this when we're around the others."

"What they don't know will not hurt them. I will not say a word about this," I reassured, nuzzling him softly. He relaxed, his entire frame lowering a few inches. We slowly rolled over to his living quarters, and went in. I was amazed by how neat everything was.

"Wow, your place is nice," I remarked.

"Thanks," he replied, yawning at the end.

"Somebody's tired," I giggled, and then ended up yawning myself. "Make that two."

He laughed softly, and then went into another room, obviously looking for something. He came back a few moments later with a folded up blanket on his hood.

"You can borrow this. You can sleep out here in the living room," he said as he set the blanket on my hood. "I'll probably be up around 4:30, 5 tomorrow morning if you want to join me out on the track."

"Alright, sounds good. Good night, Light," I replied as I moved to a corner in the room. I unfolded the blanket, and smiled when I looked at it. It was bright red like Lightning's paint, with a lightning bolt and '95' in the middle. I draped the blanket on top of me and found that it covered me so only my front bumper was poking out. I set my frame down on the ground, and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Author's Note

**Howdy! Sorry for the dry spell on this story, but I hit a writer's block, and right now I'm kind of on a Transformers: Prime bend. So, this story will be on the back burner for an unknown length of time. I may try again in the summer.**

**Until next time,**

**JML**


End file.
